2012 TALKER – “Barbour courts Huckabee” – JMART REPORTS: “Mike Huckabee hasn’t publicly declared whether he’ll run for president, but one likely Republican hopeful is already moving to woo the former Arkansas governor. Representatives of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour have been trying to set up a time with Huckabee aides for the two Southern governors and longtime friends to meet, POLITICO has learned. Both were in Mississippi on Monday, but aides to both Republicans were cagey and declined to confirm whether the pair sat down together … Huckabee aides dismiss any speculation about who their boss may get behind because he hasn’t yet publicly ruled out a second bid. But it seems clear that Barbour would be among the candidates well-positioned to get Huckabee’s support – particularly if the Mississippian emerges as the chief rival to Mitt Romney.” http://politi.co/gvO0UD

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FIRST IN SCORE – SANTORUM’S DOCTRINE – Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum will deliver a foreign policy address hosted by the Ethics and Public Policy Center Thursday, April 28. The speech is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the National Press Club and titled, “America & the World: Resetting our Course.” Santorum has been sharply critical of how the Obama administration has handled unrest in North Africa. The likely presidential candidate rebuked the White House for not standing by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. And on Libya, Santorum first called for air strikes there before saying that presidential “indecisiveness” made intervention a dangerous risk. http://politi.co/eBIZ6M [CORRECTION: A previous version of this item said Santorum's speech was scheduled for this Thursday. In fact, it is several weeks away.]

SNEAK PEEK – ‘MADE IN WASHINGTON’ – The National Republican Congressional Committee is poised to launch a new message campaign that will frame the 2012 elections as a choice between a party that’s “Made in Washington” and one that’s “fighting Washington.” The details: “According to a PowerPoint presentation delivered late last month and obtained by POLITICO, NRCC officials aim to accuse Democrats of ‘not listening to the American public’ and adopting policies that are ‘of Washington,’ despite the rebuke voters delivered in 2010. The broad idea, according to NRCC officials, is to protect the outsider brand Republicans used to great effect in 2010. House Republicans hope voters will continue to see the GOP as an insurgent force, fighting against a federal government that’s largely in more liberal hands. It’s a challenging task, given that it’s now a Republican — John Boehner of Ohio — who sits in the speaker’s chair … The NRCC communications blitz is modeled on the committee’s “Code Red” initiative last year — a well-branded, health-care-themed message that caught on among activists and in the conservative media.” http://politi.co/egktOK

HOUSE RACE EXCLUSIVE – SANCHEZ FOR HAHN: California Rep. Linda Sanchez has endorsed Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn for the House seat of ex-Rep. Jane Harman. Sanchez is the latest member of the California delegation to endorse Hahn, who has also been backed by lawmakers including Reps. Karen Bass and Xavier Becerra, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Hahn touted Sanchez’s support in a statement to Score: “Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and I have worked together on several issues facing the local communities in our districts … Adding this critical endorsement from Congresswoman Linda Sanchez to the growing list of members of Congress who have endorsed my candidacy helps to show that I am ready to lead on day one.” More on the race below …

BREAKING IN INDIANA – DEMS RETURN HOME: Democratic state legislators who fled Indianapolis for Urbana, Ill., over a month ago returned to their state capitol yesterday after forcing modest concessions from Republican lawmakers managing the legislative agenda. WRTV Indianapolis explains: “Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma reconvened the House at 5 p.m. and said the chamber will work full speed ahead to complete business by the close of the session … Since the walkout began, Republicans have killed a ‘right-to-work’ proposal … and have agreed to changes on several other bills, such as capping the number of students who could use taxpayer money to attend private schools through a controversial voucher program … Despite the delay, House Republicans won't have to remove much from their agenda because the only bill that was actually killed by the walkout was the ‘right-to-work’ proposal.” http://bit.ly/eIgOZl

TODAY – IF HE CAN MAKE IT THERE – Pivoting off his speech to the nation on Libya last night, President Barack Obama travels to New York on a (mostly) political trip. From the White House guidance: “In the afternoon, the President will travel to New York, NY … Later in the afternoon, the President will deliver remarks at the dedication of the Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building … In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at a DNC event at the Red Rooster Restaurant … Afterwards, the President will deliver remarks at a DNC event at the Studio Museum.”

HORIZON HIRES THERE – AGAIN – Two more New Hampshire operatives signed on with the pro-Huntsman PAC, John DiStaso reports: “Paul Collins, a nearly 30-year political campaign organizer and former congressional and U.S. Senate chief of staff, and Brad Blais, a key player in U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass' 2010 campaign, are joining the Horizon PAC as consultants to organize its political operations in the first-in-the-nation primary state … Until his resignation takes effect, Huntsman is forbidden from engaging in campaign or political activities.” http://bit.ly/eyDr2x

POPPING ON 2012 LIVE – “Bachmann to attend Faith and Freedom Coalition conference” – Maggie Haberman: “Michele Bachmann has signed on to the cultural conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition's conference … in June, the same month in which she's reportedly going to announce an exploratory committee … FFC head Ralph Reed announced her attendance on Twitter … The list of invited speakers also includes Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, according to the group's website, although it does not list who has confirmed. With Palin and Huckabee sending mixed signals about whether they'll mount presidential campaigns, Bachmann is increasingly seen as having a void to fill within the party.” http://politi.co/dS1GoV

CURVE BALL – WHY NOT MOORE? Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, the so-called “Ten Commandments judge” who refused to remove a religious monument from his courthouse, is running for president in 2012. The Wall Street Journal first reported Moore’s interest in the race almost a week ago, and an aide to the ex-judge confirmed his plans to CBS News: “Moore … plans to announce in mid-April that he is setting up a presidential exploratory committee, an aide told CBS News … Zachery Michael, said Moore's platform will be focused on repealing the health care overhaul law, replacing the progressive income tax with a flat tax and bringing ‘commonsense solutions’ on immigration and border control … Michael said Moore should not be thought of simply as a culture warrior, arguing that he has been a strong advocate for limited government.” http://bit.ly/ffwdTa

SCORE TRIVIA: Moore’s campaign would be a long-shot, but he would not be the first state judge to win a major-party presidential nomination. Who was the last jurist to do that and in what year? Respond to this e-mail …

POLL OF THE DAY – INVINCIBLE – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo may be the one governor in America who’s emerging from a tough budget fight without leaving his own blood on the mat. In a Siena College poll released Monday – shortly after Cuomo announced a deal on the first on-time New York budget in years – voters gave the governor a 69 percent favorability rating. That’s down from 77 percent last month, but still pretty darn good. More from the poll: “Nearly three quarters of voters say they most trust Cuomo on the budget, compared to seven percent for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and five percent for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos … Fifty-one percent of voters say he is doing an excellent/good job as Governor (down from 57 percent last month) and 41 percent say he’s doing a fair/poor job (up from 33 percent).” http://bit.ly/fIU5vD

PLUS – SCOTT’S CHECKUP – Public Policy Polling is planning to release a snapshot of the nation’s most important swing state later today, including the first survey of Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s approval in office. The Democratic firm teased its numbers on Twitter: “I'm sure some week we will find a new GOP Governor voters are glad they elected, but Florida is not that state … Rubio looking decent in our first polling on him since he took office … Scott's disapproval with 18-29 age group is 71%!” http://bit.ly/9g8bfu

ELSEWHERE IN FLORIDA – WHAT IF NOBODY BLINKS? The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida is sweating over the ongoing standoff between state and national GOP leaders over the date of the Sunshine State’s presidential primary. Florida’s currently scheduled to vote at the end of January, 2012 – a violation of RNC rules that would result in a penalty for the state’s delegates. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune catches up with state GOP Chairman Dave Bitner, who said he’s “trying to push national Republican leaders to drop proposed penalties for states that try to move their primary elections early without permission from the national party. Bitner said it’s the Legislature that sets the date not him … Bitner said party activists, many who become delegates, have given so much of their time to the Republican Party that they deserve a chance to celebrate at the [Tampa] convention.” http://bit.ly/hTajOD

ONE-TERMER WATCH: Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline’s approval rating stood at just 17 percent in a Brown University poll last week, and his political problems are only growing: The former Providence mayor is facing cascading questions about how he managed the largest city in his state and whether he was honest about its finances. Alex Isenstadt reports: “In addition to the structural deficit, the city’s rainy-day fund diminished from more than $22.3 million three years ago to less than $221,000 … Providence City Council Finance Chairman John Igliozzi … has gone so far as to accuse Cicilline of hiding the scope of the city’s fiscal woes through ‘illusory revenues, borrowing and other tricks …. ‘I think next time he’s going to have some serious problems,’ said former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, Cicilline’s predecessor, an independent who now hosts a local talk radio program. ‘They’ve got, like, the CIA, the Navy Seals, everybody is after him.’” http://politi.co/fORGsm

MORE FROM THE 36TH – ANOTHER DEAN FOR BOWEN: Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean backed California Secretary of State Debra Bowen yesterday in the special election for Jane Harman’s House seat, bolstering Bowen’s status as the favorite candidate of national liberals. Bowen – who is competing against Janice Hahn and activist Marcy Winograd – was previously endorsed by Democracy for America, the organization run by Dean’s brother. Said the former Vermont governor: “We simply cannot afford to let the opportunity to send a progressive leader like Debra to Washington … All of Debra's campaigns have truly been ‘people-powered.’” http://bit.ly/gnVSRC

Authors:

About The Author

Alexander Burns is a senior political reporter for POLITICO. During the 2012 campaign, he co-authored POLITICO’s Burns and Haberman blog, which was widely recognized as one of the authoritative resources on the presidential election. Prior to that, Burns created the daily Morning Score political tip sheet and edited the POLITICO44 page. A graduate of Harvard College, where he edited the Harvard Political Review, Burns has appeared on television and radio as a political analyst and has been a guest speaker at New York University, the University of Kansas’s Dole Institute and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, among other schools.